Latch for diffuser panel doors in lighting fixtures



.2. 2 .2. 3 2 8 .........t 4 7 a :0: :9 w 8 INVENTOR JAMES A. R/SLEY ATTORNEYS.

J. A. RXSYLEY LATCH FOR DIFFUSER PANEL DOORS IN LIGHTING FIXTURES Filed 00%. 31. 1966 3,380,770 LATCH FOR DIFFUSER PANEL DOORS IN LIGHTING FIXTURES James A. Risley, Edgewater Park, N.J., assignor to Keystone Lighting Corporation, Bristol, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Oct. 31, 1966, Ser. No. 590,904 9 Claims. (Cl. 292-475) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A latch, slidably mounted on a lighting fixture diffuser panel, which has a cam-edge fixture-engaging portion. The latch is resiliently positioned on the panel by an integral resilient finger which extends into an opening in the latch and is secured at its free end to the panel. The latch is symmetrical for left or right hand use.

This invention relates to lighting fixtures, and more particularly relates to a latch construction for diffuser panels in recessed lighting fixtures, especially troffers.

Most recessed lighting fixtures consist of an upper housing part which supports a lamp and a lower portion which acts as a light diffuser. It is desirable to provide means for quickly and securely connecting the diffuser panel with the housing and at the same time to allow for rapid and easy removal of said diffuser to gain access to the interior of the housing.

In the past, recessed lighting fixtures and troffers which employed diffuser panels either required a number of screws to affix the panel within the housing portion or utilized a combination hinged arrangement with spring catches to detachably lock the panel in position.

Prior devices employing complicated spring catches included a number of components. This necessitated not only cumbersome assembly procedures but also increased the cost of manufacture because of the plurality of parts. Modern day manufacturing requires that each component be made of the fewest number of parts and as inexpensively as possible in order to meet competitive demands. At the same time, it is advantageous to keep the labor costs to a minimum in assembling the various components.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a simple latch assembly for detachably locking a diffuser panel within a recessed lighting fixture.

Another object of this invention is to provide a diffuser panel latch which can be molded of a single piece.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a diffuser panel latch which can itself be mounted without the use of screws or bolts.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a plastic latch for recessed lighting fixture diffuser panels.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a diffuser frame and latch assembly which will assure perfect alignment at all times.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a diffuser frame and latch assembly that permits hinging of the frame from either side.

Other objects of this invention are to provide an improved device of the character described that is easily and economically produced and which is sturdy in construction and highly efficient in operation.

With the above and related objects in view this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of parts as will be more fully intensified from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a bottom perspective view of a recessed lighting fixture embodying the diffuser panel latch of this invention.

I United States Patent 3,380,770 Patented Apr. 30, 1968 FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective, and partially broken-away, view of the latch assembly.

FIGURE 3 is an exploded view of the latch assembly.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along lines 5-5 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawing in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts, I show an integrally molded plastic latch, generally designated as A, which mounts within a diffuser panel frame, generally designated as B, and detachably locks the panel within a trotfer or recesed housing, generally designated as C.

The latch member A is molded as a single piece and comprises a body portion 12 of generally trapezoidal or keystone-shaped configuration, a trigger or finger portion 14 depending within a triangularly disposed opening 16 formed in the body, and a pair of fiat and parallel spaced flanges 18 and 20 at the bottom of the body. A toe 15 projects at right angles from the plane of the body at the end of the trigger 14, and a rib 22 upwardly extends from the flange 26 for actuation by a persons finger.

The keystone-shaped body portion 12 is symmetrical and includes oppositely disposed oblique edges 24 and 26 either of which is adapted to operate as a latch locking or keeper member. The symmetrical arrangement permits a single latch member A to operate as a left or right hand unit thereby simplifying the number of components needed. The entire latch A is preferably injection molded from a resilient polyester nylon resin, such as Zytel 101, made by E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Inc. of Wilmington, Del. The Zytel nylon provides an extremely tough and long wearing plastic latch with excellent resilience for the trigger operation with minimal permanent set characteristics.

The diffuser panel B comprises a fiat rectangular lens element 30 which may be extruded, calendered or molded transparent or translucent plastic such as polystyrene. The lens 3% is mounted within a metal frame consisting of four channel members 32, 34, 36 and 38 secured by sheet metal screws at each corner. The front and rear channel members 32 and 34 are conventional in every respect and are of generally U-shaped configuration including a lateral or medial web 33 with spaced apart parallel walls 35 and 37 which embrace the margins of the diffuser element. A lip 39 extending from upper wall 37 acts as a stop for engaging a size bead or boss 41 upstanding from the side channels 36 and 38. That is, the longitudinal spacing of the bosses 41 on the side channel members 36 and 38, and the length of the front and rear channel members 32 and 34 determines the dimensions of the diffuser frame and panel.

The side channel members 36 and 38 each comprise a medial web 43 and upper and lower wall sections 44 and 45. Each end of the upper wall section 44 has a flap 46 extending downwardly therefrom. The flap 4-5 has an inclined edge 48 which is spaced from the medial web 43. Each end of the medial web 43 has an car 50 at its lower edge extending outwardly beyond the plane of the flap 46 by a distance slightly greater than thickness of the body portion 12 of latch A.

As may best be seen from FIGURES 2 and 4, the channel members 32, 34, 36 and 38 are assembled as a frame about the diffuser element 30 using the screws 40. The latches A are mounted simultaneously so that they are included within the front portion of the frame, and their oblique edges 24 and 26 from the slots just above the ears St) in the front channel 36. The toe portion 15 of the trigger 14 abuts against the inclined edge 48 of flap 46 and is resiliently biased forwardly within triangular opening 16 which provides clearance. That is, when the latch A is inserted within the frame, the toe is engaged by the inclined edge 48 so as to press the leading edge of flange 18 against the medial wall 43 and ear 50. Of course, the corresponding oblique edge 24 or 26 is urged beyond the car 50. Flange 18 rides within the channel 32 or 34 above the wall 35 while flange rides outside and below the frame and is manipulatable from the exterior. Thus, the body portion 12 of the latches A is slidably contained within and between the medial wall 33 and flap 46.

The trolfer housing C comprises a conventional casing member which is hung in the usual manner within a ceiling 52. The housing includes end caps 54 and 56 which retain a truncated sheet metal portion 58 therebetween. Each of the end caps has a slotted portion 60 at the front and back thereof, the bottom of the slotted portions having a rolled skirt or rim 62. The ends of the rear channel 34 have pins 64 outwardly projecting therefrom for engagement with the slotted recesses 60 at the back of the end caps. See FIGURE 5. The cooperation of the pins 64 with the recesses 60 provides a convenient hinged arrangement which can be accomplished at either the front or back of the end caps.

When the panel B is hinged by its pins 64 within the recesses 60, the opposite edge is resiliently snapped by its latches A within the recesses 60 at the forward edge of the end caps. As the oblique edge 24 or 26 of the latches A slide over the skirt or rim 62, the latches A are retracted within the front channel member 32 against the opposing bias of the trigger 14. That is, the toe 15 is urged further against the inclined edge 48 of flap 46. Clearance is provided for the trigger 14 by the triangular configuration of the opening 16. When the nose or point of the oblique edges 24 and 26 pass over the skirt 62, the resilience of the trigger 14 causes the nose to snap into the recess 60. In order to release the panel B, the ribs 22 of the latches A are moved by a persons fingers into retracted position until the noses of the oblique surfaces clear the skirts 62.

It is also apparent that a universal type of panel B can be employed by using a latch A at each of the four corners thereof instead of the use of pins 64 at two corners. Because of the design construction of the novel latches A, they themselves require no screws for assembling or mounting them to the frame B.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

What is claimed is:

.1. A latch for a diffuser panel comprising a plastic member integrally molded as a single unit including a body portion having an oblique surface and a keeper 4 surface, a resilient finger portion extending normal to said keeper surface and being in a plane with said body portion, and flange means for slidably supporting said body portion in a line parallel with said keeper surface for movement along said plane.

2. The latch of claim 1 wherein said body portion is symmetrical.

3. The latch of claim 1 wherein said body portion is keystone-shaped in configuration 'and said finger portion extends within a triangular-shaped opening in said body portion.

4. The latch of claim 3 wherein an actuating toe is formed on the end of said finger portion at right angles to the plane of said body portion.

5. In combination with a diffuser panel for a recessed lighting fixture, a latch assembly comprising a substantially flat body portion integrally molded as a single unit and including an oblique cam portion extending from one end of said body portion, a spring finger portion extending from said body portion in substantially the same plane therewith and opposing said oblique cam portion, a channeled frame member peripherally supporting said ditfuser panel, said body portion slidably supported within said channeled frame member, and means in said frame member biasing said finger portion in a predetermined direction and resiliently urging said cam portion through an opening therein.

6. The invention of claim 5 wherein said body portion is keystone-shaped in configuration and said finger portion depends within a triangular opening within said body portion.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein spaced apart flanges are formed on said body portion, and said flanges slidably embrace one wall of said channeled frame member.

8. The invention of claim 7 wherein a rib is formed on the outermost flange on said body portion, said rib being adapted to be actuated by a persons finger in a direction opposing the biasing means.

9. The invention of claim 8 including a toe portion at the end of said finger portion substantially normal to the plane of said body portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 362,866 5/1887 Adams 292128 3,062,279 11/ 19 62 Kochanowski. 3,078,366 2/1963 Winkler 292128 X 3,240,039 3/ 1966 Baermann 292 X FOREIGN PATENTS 194,551 1/ 1958 Austria.

RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner. 

